June Week 2, 2023: In this monthly series, we highlight 5 climate tech startups to watch by featuring the incredible startups, companies, or projects that are leading the fight against the climate crisis.
Each month, we add these startups to our running list, which we have categorized based on fuel emission sector data from the most detailed, recent data SBC could identify from the World Resource Institute in 2016.
This initiative from Startup Basecamp aims to support founders by giving them access to networking and exposure opportunities that help them to scale and finance their climate tech solutions.
Do not hesitate to join our collective movement by requesting your membership.
With care,
Guillaume and the SBC TEAM
Energy use in Industry and Buildings
Founded:
2023 – Munich, Germany
Founders:
Lucio Milanese and Martin Kubie
Elevator Pitch:
We are a European startup building the first generation of fusion power plants using QI stellarators.
Problem they solve:
Fusion is the process that powers the stars. To make it possible on Earth, one can confine high-energy ionized matter, called “plasma”, via magnetic fields. Tokamaks and stellarators are two approaches that do so by creating a magnetic “cage” in doughnut-shaped devices. Stellarators use a complex set of electromagnets outside of the plasma, whereas tokamaks combine external electromagnets with a large current within the plasma, which simplifies the overall design but incurs significant control challenges.
Impact:
High-temperature superconductors are revolutionising magnetic confinement fusion. Leveraging this technology requires detailed engineering analysis, enabled by modern computational design capabilities. In partnership with the industry that has led the development of W7-X and ITER, we are bringing Europe to the forefront of fusion R&D.
Stage:
Pre-Seed
Interested in Proxima Fusion?
To learn more about their technology or get in touch, see here
Agriculture, Forestry and Land Use
Founded:
2019 – London, UK
Founders:
Francis Lempp, Nadiur Rahman and Archie Watts-Farmer
Elevator Pitch:
Developing the world’s most efficient, fuel agnostic, net-zero powertrains.
Problem they solve:
Tackling the trillion dollar challenge of decarbonising industry, long-haul transport & off-grid power.
Carnot is targeting the hardest to abate sectors marine, long haul road freight and primary off grid power.
These sectors are facing an unprecedented shift and rapidly looking to innovation to achieve net zero. Carnot offers the most suitable powertrain to decarbonise these markets.
Impact:
Our missions is to reduce global CO2 emissions by 13%, accelerating the world transition to net zero by bringing clean, affordable & scalable power to some of the hardest to decarbonise applications.
At the core of our powertrains is the world’s most efficient engine, operating at 70% thermal efficiency. Using innovative engine design and advanced technical ceramics, we have eliminated the need for any cooling system and maximise the energy extracted from the fuel as useful work as opposed to waste heat. Our powertrains use half as much fuel for the same work compared to diesel which leads to much reduced fuel costs and a 35% reduction in overall cost of ownership. The technology is completely fuel agnostic, meaning these benefits can be applied working with biofuels, e-fuels, hydrogen, ammonia or even fuel blends.
Stage:
Seed
Interested in Carnot Engines?
If you are interested in learning more, see here.
Energy use in transport
3. FlyORO
Founded:
2022 – Singapore
Founders:
Jonathan Yeo
Elevator Pitch:
To be aviation’s finest supply chain integrator for Sustainable Aviation Fuels to take flight.
Problem they solve:
Traveling is fundamental to meeting people, learning new cultures and fostering relationships. However, it impacts our environment due to CO2 emissions. To support the aviation sector towards green, SAF has been introduced to curb the CO2 emissions from flights.
Impact:
At FlyORO, we are designed to enable on-demand SAF blending, flexibility in blended SAF production, and a robust SAF supply chain. Our asset-light modular manufacturing technologies tap onto the jet fuel logistic network making SAF more easily available to airlines directly at airports.
Stage:
Pre-Seed
Want to learn more about FlyORO?
To learn more about their technology or get in touch see here.
Energy use in Industry and Buildings
4. Chement
Founded:
2021 – Chicago, USA
Leadership:
Venkat Viswanathan and Gregory Houchins
Elevator Pitch:
Eco-friendly cement production via an electrochemical process.
Problem they solve:
The production of Portland cement is responsible for 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions annually, each year emitting 2.2 billion tons of CO2.
Impact:
Chement is working to change that by developing technology that makes the production process more energy-efficient, runs on renewable electricity, and enables the low-cost capture of unavoidable process emissions.
Stage:
Early Stage
Interested in Chement?
To learn more about this company, see here
Energy use in transport
Founded:
2018 – San Francisco Bay Area, USA
Founder:
Jeremy Osborne and Edward Kearney
Elevator Pitch:
We are building the future of zero emissions ocean transport.
Problem they solve:
Nothing like Valo exists, which is why we made it. Be one of the first to own this revolution in water mobility.
The key difference between Valo and a jetski is that Valo is a hydrofoil vehicle. That means it has wings under the water that lift the hull out of the water, allowing it to be very fast while also using very little energy. It also unlocks unsurpassed agility and control that is not possible on a jetski.
Valo is also electric, so it is incredibly quiet and sustainable.
Impact:
We are building the future of ocean transport. With zero emissions hydrofoil technology, Boundary Layer Technologies aims to decarbonize maritime travel and reduce global GHG emissions by at least 1%. We are creating two products to transform global shipping: ELECTRA, the world’s fastest and longest-range zero-emissions ferry, and ARGO, a hydrogen-powered hydrofoil cargo ship to replace highly emitting airfreight.
At Boundary Layer Technologies, we are bold in vision. We want to be a part of something important. Part of our mission is to decarbonize maritime travel, one vessel at a time. That is why Boundary Layer Technologies is creating first-of-its-kind technology, and its emerging innovations will help cut the development time of future vessels by 40%.
Stage:
Seed
Interested in Boundary Layer Technology?
If you are interested in learning more, see here
Do you know of other startups we should include in our Startups to Watch Series? Submit to our list!
How do these startups fit in with all the others we have looked at?
Check out our running list of the 400+ climate tech startups to watch we have featured.
